To The Editor:
The Graystone Academy Charter School Board of Trustees is disappointed with Coatesville Area School District (CASD) Superintendent Richard Como’s inflammatory remarks concerning our decision to restructure Graystone into a K-5 elementary school. His misleading statements shamefully used children as pawns and served only to advance his and the CASD Board’s agenda to deny area families public school choice.
Here are the facts. Graystone’s decision to focus its education on grades K-5 was based entirely on the best interests of area families. After a completing a review of the community’s needs, Graystone’s Board of Trustees concluded the surrounding community demonstrated a far greater need for a public elementary school choice than a middle school. By shifting resources from our middle school to our elementary school, we will more effectively meet that demand and provide more intensive high quality instruction and services for grades K-5.
To date, Mr. Como and his Board have spent more than $700,000 in a fruitless pursuit of closing down Graystone. This callous abuse of taxpayer money comes at a time when Mr. Como and his Board are taking out loans to pay bills and proposing cuts to student programs and teacher positions. Mr. Como’s remarks leave no doubt that his campaign against Graystone is deeply personal and that he will leave no dollar unspent to win. Taxpayers should be outraged.
The Charter Appeals Board (CAB) has denied CASD’s motions to dismiss Graystone’s appeal of the district’s attempt to close our school, clearing the path for Graystone to receive a fair hearing on the merits and ultimately prevail. Providing Graystone with these hearings will only cost the taxpayers more money.
The Graystone Academy Charter School will remain open during the 2012-2013 school year, and for the as long as the Coatesville area demands public school choice for its K-5 children. Despite numerous requests from Graystone, CASD has refused to resolve our differences in a way that would stop the unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money in a battle the district cannot win and direct the funds toward the intended purpose, the education of children. It is time that Mr. Como and his Board withdraw from this costly battle and recognize that school choice is here to stay.
Jack Stollsteimer
President, Board of Trustees,
Graystone Academy Charter School
